


You Don't Hold Hands, Except When You Do

by Lady_Ganesh



Category: Young Avengers
Genre: Art appreciation, Holding Hands, Kissing, Libraries, Other, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-13
Updated: 2015-04-13
Packaged: 2018-03-22 15:23:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3733816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Ganesh/pseuds/Lady_Ganesh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p></p><blockquote>
  <p>"Anyway, we got a couple plane tickets and we can go anywhere, and for some reason Kate thinks the libraries of East Nowhere would be a <em>fantastic</em> place to hang out."</p>
  <p>"Scottsdale," Eli said. "And we have an <em>awesome</em> library. Some of the books have pictures and everything."</p>
  <p>"Well, <em>pictures,"</em> Tommy said. "Sign me up."</p>
</blockquote>Tommy and Kate come to visit.<p> </p><p>I hope this has some fix-it elements to it that you'll enjoy. :D</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Don't Hold Hands, Except When You Do

**Author's Note:**

  * For [failsafe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/failsafe/gifts).



Eli had just gotten out of work when his phone started vibrating. _Speed._ He was pretty certain Speed never used the phone, which was enough to get him to pick up. "You're alive, huh?"

"Heeeeey," the voice cooed in his ear. "Guess what we did on our summer vacation."

"I can't imagine," Eli said.

"So Billy--I mean, these stories always start with Billy, right?"

They usually did, yeah. "Billy made a huge mistake?"

"Well, sort of, yeah, and he unleashed this giant alien parasite that was trying to--"

"I heard," he said. "Prodigy called. Well, Farah called, but then he called later." He shook his head. "My grandma can set up a better phone tree."

"Where were you?"

He'd been asking himself that question for two days. "Hate to be the first to tell you, but I can't fly, and the state's short on superheroes. Tried to catch a lift with Chase, but no dice."

"Missed you. Though I guess it would've been confusing, what with me all brainwashed and wearing your costume or whatever."

Now _that_ Prodigy hadn't shared. "Wait, what?"

"Yeah, David thought it was some kind of cosmic 'ex' connection or something, 'cause we both flirted around with Kate, but--"

 _David._ "That...does that make more sense when Prodigy explains it?"

"Eh, not really. I mean, you can ask Kate, she's smarter than me. Smarter than either of us. That's why I called, actually."

"To tell me how smart Kate is?"

He'd actually missed Tommy's crazy laugh. "Her dad's guilty of something, or she got him to think that? Face swapping? Something, I dunno, have her tell you that too. Anyway, we got a couple plane tickets and we can go anywhere, and for some reason Kate thinks the libraries of East Nowhere would be a _fantastic_ place to hang out."

"Scottsdale," Eli said. "And we have an _awesome_ library. Some of the books have pictures and everything."

"Well, _pictures,"_ Tommy said. "Sign me up."

"Ha, ha," he said. "When would you guys come by?"

"Like, um--Kate, when are we landing?"

Wait, what were they--? "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, we're at the airport. Yeah, of course he says it's cool. It's Eli. He missed us."

He could just hear Kate’s voice: "Like he missed a head injury."

"So, what, four, five hours? Or we could just get a motel room or whatever and hang out until you can see us."

"In five hours it's like two am."

"So can you pick us up at the airport? I mean, Kate can rent a car, but--"

"Yeah," he said. "I'll pick you up."

 

Kate looked spectacular. Prettier than he'd remembered her, if that was possible. Funny how things change in your mind. She had big wraparound sunglasses, like it wasn't 2:14, like she was on her way to a really great party. "We got a redeye," she said, almost proudly.

"Yeah, I figured," he said. "You slept on the plane?"

She tilted her head toward Tommy. "I did. I'm not actually sure he sleeps."

Eli had wondered that himself.

"I sleep," Tommy said. "I sleep a _lot_ when I actually sleep. Fast metabolism, you know?" He looked almost as wiped as he had when they'd busted him out of juvie, and his white t-shirt and pale jeans didn't help. That seemed like a long, long time ago.

"So you want a motel or--"

“Would your mom mind if we just crashed with you guys for a little bit?” Kate asked. “Just until morning, when we can find, I don't know, a place with a pool?"

"Well," Eli said. "She's asleep, but yeah, she'll be fine. Especially if you take the guest room and he takes the couch. But remember, I got a brother and sister at home still, you might get a rude awakening in the morning."

"Yeah, yeah." Tommy's eyes were roaming the airport, like he was trying to drink everything in. "That's fine."

"We're not actually--" Kate glanced between them. "Well. Um. That sounds good. Guest room."

"Yeah, okay," Eli said. "Mom's got a station wagon, should fit your stuff. You know where your baggage claim is?"

Kate lifted up her suitcase. "This is all I got."

"I'm cool," Tommy said, wiggling the backpack on his shoulder. "Let's get out of here. I hate airports, the air's all weird."

"It's filtered," Kate said. "Nobody can open up windows any more."

"So, what _is_ there to do around here?" Tommy said, stretching his arms out. "You watch paint dry? Turtle fights?"

"Keep it up, I'll let our convenient free shuttle bus pick your ass up in the morning," Eli said.

"You're not answering the question," Tommy said. "I'm thinking turtle fights."

"Aren't we in the desert?" Kate asked. "Where would they get the turtles?"

"Maybe I'll leave both of you for the shuttle bus," Eli said.

 

Eli led the way to the parking lot. "So...why exactly are you out here again?"

"We told you," Tommy said. "Kate got tickets."

"Anywhere in the U.S.A.," Kate said, waving her hand expansively. Probably anywhere in the world, but Tommy doesn't have a passport. And, you know. We saved the world. Why not go see Eli?"

"Yeah," Tommy said. "Pretty much."

"So you came here just to see me?" Really?

Kate shrugged her shoulders. "Looked pretty on the website."

"It is pretty," Eli said. "You get more stars out here than in New York, and when you drive outside the city...it's amazing."

"We'll have to do that," Tommy said. "Good camping?"

"Yeah," Eli said. "Gets cold, though."

They had really just come out here to see him. Eli didn't know what that meant.

 

Eli let Tommy take his bed and put Kate in the guest room. He'd slept on the couch before, it was no big deal.

"I can share," Tommy said. "It's fine."

"Don't worry about it," he said. It wasn't a bad couch. He certainly wasn't going to do something stupid like spend hours staring at the ceiling thinking about Tommy in his bed. It was two am. He got some damn sleep.

Kate was gone when he woke up. "She said she was going running," Tommy said. He was sitting at the kitchen counter with a bowl of cereal. "I like Litigious, he's cute. Your sister just gave me a bunch of funny looks. Oh, and your mom says to remember you need more Gatorade."

"You've never met my mom," Eli said.

"Yeah, well, I did." He spooned cereal into his mouth, chewed. "Don't worry, Kate did most of the talking. She said we could stay with you guys, but Kate said you'd help us get a motel room. You're working today?"

"Yeah," he said. "I don't have Thursday classes this semester, so I normally do a full day. Didn't exactly plan on you two dropping in." Not that he minded, exactly. But ‘hey, my old superhero buddies are in town, can I blow off work?’ wasn’t going to cut it as an excuse. 

"Nah, it's cool," Tommy said. "What time are you done?"

"Four," he said. "You guys think you can keep busy?" Tommy could probably keep himself entertained without blowing anything up. Probably.

"Yeah, of course. Your mom said the Heard Museum was nice, but Kate might just wanna work on her tan by the pool, I don't know."

"Yeah, the Heard's pretty cool. Frank Lloyd Wright has a house here, too."

Tommy stared at his spoon for a second, considering. "You think your mom'll be pissed if I eat all the cereal?"

"She knows you're a speedster, you're good."

"Cool," Tommy said, grabbing the box. "Anything you want to save up special, show us later?"

"Nah, you can't see it all in a day anyway. Well, _you_ probably could, but not with Kate."

"Not worth the trouble," Tommy said. "We'll come before the library closes. See your place."

"Sounds good," Eli said.

"Shit, did you want any cereal?"

"Nah, I gotta run. I'll probably grab a Clif bar or something."

"Thanks," Tommy said. "See you later, I guess."

"Yeah."

 

Tommy came into the library looking more or less like a normal human being, which wasn't really how Eli thought of him, but he looked pretty decent that way. Sunglasses, jeans that were maybe too tight, a t-shirt with _Red Shirt Running Team: I'm Probably Not Going To Make It_ in white. The only thing that stood out was that white hair. "Kate's outside," he said, looking around the building as he pushed his sunglasses back. "Said she'll be in in a minute. It's really nice here. What do you do?"

"Whatever they ask me to, usually," Eli said. "I spent most of today covering the books. Last summer I helped with the kids' reading program." He didn't normally have a lot of patience for kids but it helped when they all loved books.

"You surrounded by kids," Tommy said. "Now that I'd like to see."

"Oh, there's something I do want you to see," he said. "Over with the art books. It's got pictures and everything."

"Ha, ha," Tommy said. "I _can_ read, you know."

"Yeah, yeah."

Eli pulled it off the shelf. "Just check it out." He'd thought of Tommy the first time he'd seen the art. It had the same restlessness, the same energy. Especially the one with the little dog pulling its owner around, though Eli wasn't gonna tell Tommy that.

"That...that is pretty cool," Tommy admitted, pulling it open. "The school library never had anything like that. Even before I blew it up."

"Yeah, well, some libraries are better than others." The book was out of print, they were lucky to still have it in such good shape.

Tommy was actually...almost quiet, almost still. It was kind of weird. But kind of cool. He wasn't sure he'd actually seen Tommy actually sit and focus before. "Oh, this one's great."

It was the one with the dog. Eli found himself laughing to himself. "Yeah, that one--that's the one that reminds me of you."

"You dick," Tommy said, but he was laughing too. "I can't believe I missed you."

"Yeah, me neither," Eli said. He moved to another page. "I like this one, too, with the wheels."

"That is _awesome,"_ Tommy said, reaching out and touching the page. "I kind of want that in my room."

"Yeah?"

Their hands touched.

"Hey, guys," Kate said, and they both jumped a little, like they were guilty of something, and Eli felt his face heat up. "You two having fun?"

"Check this out," Tommy said. "Eli found me art. Like me." He sounded weirdly proud. Eli's face got hotter.

"Yeah?" Kate walked closer. "Oh, Balla. That _is_ you. Like that one with the dog on the leash?"

"Yeah, yeah," Tommy said. "Everybody thinks I'm a weiner dog."

"You said it, not me."

"It's in Buffalo," Tommy said. "We should go to Buffalo next. You doing anything?"

"No," he said. "I spend my life wandering the town. A lost soul, seeking succor, or at least a hot meal."

Kate giggled.

"You know what I mean," Tommy said, and the motion was back, his restlessness. "Could you come?"

"Depends," he said. "You wanna wait? Semester ends next week. I've got a couple of exams, should be out by Wednesday."

"Buffalo," Kate said. "You were giving me crap about coming _here,_ and now you want to take off to Buffalo?"

"Look at this," Tommy said, tapping the paper. "This is _awesome._ We need to see it."

"Fine," she said. "We'll go to Buffalo. At least if we stay here a little while, I can catch my breath. Maybe get a tan. I wish the motel had an outdoor pool."

"I'm crying for you," Tommy said. "You see my tears?"

She shoved him. "So do you have to study all weekend? We were gonna watch a movie, maybe."

"I can do a movie," he said. "I'd go crazy if I studied 24/7, and I'm pretty solid anyway. Tommy's not picking, though."

"Oh, come on!"

"Shh," Kate said, leaning over his shoulder. "You're in a library, remember?" She was standing really close to them both. Close enough Eli could smell her soap and shampoo. Close enough he could feel how warm she was.

"I pick _awesome_ movies," Tommy grumbled.

"Are you guys hungry? I'm hungry." Kate touched Eli's shoulder. "You still working?"

"I can go," he said. "You're right on time."

 

He took them to Rehab Burger, because that seemed like it would spark the fewest arguments.

They argued anyway.

"All I'm saying is that no one should ever put a fried egg on a burger," Tommy said. "Because that shit is _disgusting."_

"You can say whatever you want to," Kate said, "because my burger is amazing, and you're just missing out."

"Dip your fry in there," Eli said. "Perfect combination."

"No," Tommy said, putting his hand over his ears. "That is disgusting. _Disgusting._ An eldritch horror from beyond the stars."

Kate was busy dipping her fry in the yolk. "You're right," she said after she tried it, with exaggerated relish. "That _is_ amazing."

"I told you," Eli said. "You gotta trust me."

"You want one?" Kate waved a fry under Tommy's nose.

Tommy made a face. "No. What is _wrong_ with you? I don't even know why I spend time with weirdos like you."

"You're are just jealous 'cause I'm the only one who can drink," she declared, pulling out her phone and taking a picture, beer, food and all. "I'm sending this to America. She's gonna like it."

"Not Noh-Varr?" Tommy said.

 _"Not_ Marvel Boy," she said. "Don't be an idiot."

Eli shot a look at Tommy. _Did they--?_

"Yes," she snapped. "We dated. It's over." She put her phone back in her pocket.

"Look," Tommy said. "We missed a lot, okay? Eli was...here, and I was...I don't even know what I was."

"In Eli's old costume," Kate said. "And you kept talking in riddles. It was _weird."_

"David thought it was some version of my future self, or maybe his," Tommy said. "But that's weird too."

"So," Eli said. "David, huh?"

"Yeah," Tommy said. "We--wait a second."

"Are you _jealous?"_ Kate said. "You're jealous!"

"What would I be jealous of?" Eli said, and took a tremendous bite of his burger so he wouldn't have to answer any more questions.

"I didn't hit on him," Tommy said. "I mean, he's cute, but I didn't--" And then he attacked his burger, and Kate looked at both of them with a crazy, slightly predatory expression Eli had never seen before. He couldn't decide if it was sexy or terrifying. Both, maybe.

"This is really good," she said. "Thanks."

He shrugged. "Wouldn't take you to one of the crappy places, right?"

"Yeah, I know," she said. "Still." She took another sip of her beer. "Really good."

"Hard to believe, but you can find real food, even when you're not on the coast."

"Clint said he helped out the Great Lakes Avengers once," she said. "And it was the worst two hours of his life."

"Clint," Eli said.

"Okay, you have a point."

"Clint could manage to have the worst two hours of his life on a beach in paradise," Eli said. "Not, like, paradise as a metaphor. Literal Paradise."

"Okay, okay!" Kate waved her hands. "That's fair. And I was _saying_ it's nice here."

"I mean, don't get me wrong," he said. "I miss the city sometimes. But it's not like I'm in exile here."

"Self-imposed," Tommy said.

"We miss you," Kate said. "And you're not...I mean...Billy retired too, until he almost destroyed the world. You never did _that."_

Tommy nodded. "You're way ahead of Billy."

"I still screwed up," he said.

"I know," Kate said. "I did too. And then I screwed up _more."_ She reached over the plate and touched his hand, and he'd missed her. He really had. "But I did good stuff, too. _We_ did. You can't...we have to screw up sometimes. Or we can't learn. We can't do better next time."

"How many chances do I get?" Eli said."How many...how many lives can I--" He swallowed. His throat felt thick. "I wasn't ready," he said.

"You think any of the others are ready?"

"Listen to her," Tommy said. "She works with Clint. _Clint."_

"He's not so bad," Eli and Kate said at the same time.

"Ready." Tommy waved a French fry in Eli's direction. "Clint. I'm not saying he's not effective. I'm saying 'ready' is not a good word for Clint."

Kate's hand was warm. He could feel the calluses from her bow.

Tommy looked down at Kate's hand. "Anyway," he said. "You were good. You were always good. You...I didn't like how it went down, either. But I don't know if I would've done it different. I'm not good at telling people what to do. Making the tough calls. You were. You are."

"You did all right without me," he said.

"Maybe you would've kissed me quicker," Tommy said.

"Wait, who kissed you?"

"He just did it to break the spell," he said, not meeting Eli's eyes. "Or whatever it was."

"Yeah, yeah," she said. "You notice he didn't call me over."

"Well, _I_ found you," he said, and that was flirting, okay? But he was kind of flirting with both of them now. "Remember?"

"Prodigy kissed you?" Eli asked. "David?"

"Yes," Tommy said. _"David._ Are you jealous?"

Eli waved his hand at them. He wasn't jealous of anyone. Not much. Maybe a little, but it was of the saving the world thing as much as the kissing. They were right. He did miss that. "I still don't understand why you got trapped wearing my costume."

"David said that it was maybe an alternate you, or me, or, well...someone from the future. Setting things right kind of thing. Might have been David. Who knows?"

"Time travel," Eli grumbled. Kate and Tommy groaned in agreement.

"There's gotta be an alternate universe out there with no time travel," Tommy said. "I wanna go there. How come we always end up in alternate universes with dead Avengers and intergalactic parasites instead?"

"Maybe a universe made up of nothing but really good restaurants," Kate said.

Eli nodded.

"Yeah, that would work," Tommy said. "But with our luck, we'd probably end up on the menu eventually."

They all nodded.

Kate glanced at her phone. "We better finish up. Movie's in twenty minutes. Is the theater close?"

"Yeah, we can walk," Eli said, looking over for the waiter. "No worries."

"Okay," she said.

 

The movie was fine. It wasn't as aggressively dumb as Tommy's would have been, but it wasn't aggressively interesting, either. Kate leaned over and whispered "sorry" into his ear, and he didn't shiver, because he was an adult, damn it, and only kids got the shivers when pretty girls whispered in their ears. He just shrugged. It had been her idea, but they'd all gone along with it. Even Tommy.

Tommy was practically vibrating. Probably from boredom. Kate reached over and patted his hand. Tommy really did shiver at that. Amateur.

Kate looked at Tommy, on her left, and back at Eli on her right. Then she bit her lower lip, like she was thinking. She took a breath.

Both Tommy and Eli realized something was up, but damned if Eli could figure out what it was. Then she took each of them by the hand. Which wasn't that easy to do, since both of them had been nice and had given her the damn armrest.

Kate's hand was as nice as it had been earlier. Even the callus on her middle finger wasn't so bad. Good thing she wore gloves, probably.

Tommy was looking past Kate, at him. Like Eli had any answers.

Then Kate took their hands and joined them together in her lap.

Oh. _That's_ what she was up to. _Goddamnit, Kate._ Her hands were still on theirs.

 _This is a terrible idea,_ Eli thought. He hated how much faster his heart was beating. He wasn't a superhero any more. He wanted--

What the hell did he even want? What did _Kate_ want?

Tommy was staring at him. He could feel it. He was almost afraid to turn toward him. Instead, he just squeezed Tommy's hand.

"So what happens if this goes south?" Tommy said, too loud, and the couple behind them hissed a _ssssh._

Kate shrugged her shoulders.

"It's your idea," Eli muttered.

"Not really," she said, to another _sssh._ "I'm following your lead."

They stayed as they were for the rest of the movie. Eli's heart didn't slow down at all. He didn't figure Tommy's did either. Kate...it was hard to tell with Kate. She was a better poker player.

But when the credits rolled, she looked just as nervous as Eli felt.

"So I had this idea," she said, as they walked into the darkness of the night.

"Yeah," Tommy said. "We noticed."

"Sometimes people talk about these things," Eli said.

"I don't talk," Tommy said.

"Yeah," Kate said. "He doesn't."

"And you don't hold hands," Eli said. "Except when you do."

Tommy kicked something. Probably a rock. It skidded across the street. "You didn't mind."

"No," Eli said, carefully. "I didn't."

"I started thinking," Kate said. "That maybe the reason I never chose between you two idiots--"

"Hey--"

"What--"

"--was that maybe there was no choosing between you two. Maybe you're a package deal." She put her arms around her own shoulders and shivered. "I don't know. I just...when I saw you guys at the library, I thought--"

"Next time, maybe tell us _first?"_ Eli suggested. He took his jacket off and handed it to her.

"I dunno," she said, taking it from him and pulling it over his shoulders. "I tried talking the last time I was in a relationship. Didn't really work. I think I'm just gonna keep winging it."

"You'll kill us both," Eli said.

She smirked. "You'll die happy."

"Look," Tommy said. "The last thing I want to do is sit around and talk about _feelings._ Could we just go back to the motel room and make out for a while?"

It was different, when someone actually said it, when everyone's cards were actually on the table.

"Okay with me," Kate said. "Eli?"

"Promise me one thing," Eli said. "If this all goes south? No one hears about this. No one. _Ever."_

"I was gonna say the same thing," Tommy said.

"Whatever," Kate said. "All you guys do is gossip about my love life anyway."

"We do _not,"_ Tommy said. "I didn't even know about Marvel Boy until--"

"Tommy," Eli said, a warning. "Don't."

"Yeah," Tommy said. "Okay."

 

He had curfew and an 11 am class, so he didn't stay that long. It was long enough, though. Long enough to know it wasn't a huge mistake. Well, probably not. No worse than most of the mistakes he'd made, anyway. By the time he got up in the morning, he was feeling...kind of good. Optimistic. Like he'd jumped off a cliff and he was just enjoying the adrenalin rush of the fall. Might hurt like hell when he hit, but he might as well enjoy the rush while it lasted.

Kate's text said _Want to run? Tommy's sleeping in._

 _Nah, you have fun._ He wasn't sure what he'd say to her if it was just the two of them. Hell, he didn't know what he'd say when it was the three of them again.

Maybe they'd just kiss again. That was all they'd done, really, made out, Eli's heart pounding as he tried to ignore the screaming from the rest of his body. Kate's hair was like silk, and Tommy--

Tommy was everything Eli had always known he was. Energy, power. Zero impulse control was annoying on the battlefield, but it was kind of fun when they were all crammed on a tiny twin mattress, when Tommy could all but flash from one side of the bed to the other and get his hands wherever he wanted to.

He needed to stop thinking about it. That would lead to him hammering on the motel room door asking Tommy to let him in. He wasn't ready to be that...needy. And he had class in three hours.

Time to beat the crap out of some zombies. _That_ would keep him distracted.

At least, that's what he thought until he logged back into _Team of Rivals._ Usually it was a _good_ thing when his friends were on.

Today was a little more complicated.

"So has your love life just gotten more complicated than _mine?"_ Teddy sounded way too amused about the whole thing.

He had to keep his voice quiet, just in case Mom had forgotten something and swung back home. She did that sometimes. Always made him jump. Still, he hoped he put enough anger into his words for them to get noticed. "What did they tell you?"

"Nothing! They didn't tell me anything!"

Of course _they_ hadn't. He rolled his eyes. "What did Kate tell Billy?"

"...um. She told him things were complicated."

The team had been broken up for years. How come the gossip line was still 100%? "Well. Yeah, I guess."

"Am I gonna have to edit your wiki? Again?"

"No one has to edit my wiki! My personal life doesn't belong on the damn wiki anyway."

"So it _is_ your personal life."

"Maybe. I don't know. We're...still kind of figuring stuff out."

"We've missed you. I mean, America's pretty great--you'll like her--but she's not--"

"Teddy," he said. "I can't."

"Look," Teddy said. "We all fucked up. I broke up with Billy because _Loki told me to._ Loki!"

"Yeah, well, he's good at manipulating people," Eli said. "I managed to screw up all on my own initiative."

"We've all done that too," Teddy said.

"Are you gonna shoot that zombie or do I have to do everything?"

"Yeah, yeah," Teddy said, and the zombie to Eli's left exploded. "Better?"

"Yes," he said, and got back to the game.

Kate stopped by the house on her run--the girl was a machine--and he paused the game. "Say hi to Teddy," she said.

"Sure," he said. "How did you know?"

She wiggled her phone at him.

"Billy," he said.

"Yep. Come on, run back to the motel with me."

"All right," he said, "just let me change."

His phone buzzed as he was pulling his shirt over his head. _Seriously tho,_ the text from Teddy read. _Think about it._

_I will, all right?_

_Promise?_

_Yeah._

_OK. Have fun._

"So is Tommy gonna catch up with us? Or are we gonna wake him up?"

She shrugged. "That's up to him. I don't figure there's any point in waiting around."

"No," he said.

"Look," she said. "I know I kind of jerked you around--"

"No," he said. "You didn't. You were honest with me. Just 'cause you didn't know what you wanted didn't mean you owed me anything."

There was something about her smile that always got him. "Okay," she said. "But I still...it still hurt you, and I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he said. "We...we always had each other's backs, right? Even when stuff was crazy."

 _"Especially_ then," she said, and stepped in for a kiss.

"I hope we don't have to keep track of who's kissed who," Eli said. "Or how often."

He felt a breeze at his side. "I'm gonna win," Tommy said, "if we do."

"You think you can beat me?"

Tommy grinned, and shit if that didn't get to him too. "I'll beat both of you. Now come on, are we running or what?"

"I guess we're running," Eli said.

"Okay," Tommy said. "I'll go extra-slow, just for you two. Try to keep up."

**Author's Note:**

> If you're curious, the Tommy painting is [Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash.](http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/great-works/great-works-dynamism-of-a-dog-on-a-leash-1912-giacomo-balla-1781174.html)
> 
> I kept Eli in Scottsdale because the only source for him being in the Midwest is Tom Brevoort on Tumblr, and it contradicts him living with his mom in YA 2, so Scottsdale.


End file.
